ures all that he has written. The rapture of the "Ode to the Skylark" is like the bird, it sings "small, but filling the heavens." The "Invocation to the West Wind" is unmatched for spiritual cest

acy.

"Make me thy lyre, even as the forest is. What if my leaves are falling like its own! The tumult of thy mighty harmonies

Will take from both a deep autumnal toneSweet though in sadness. Be thou, spirit fierce,

My Spirit! Be thou me, impetuous one!

Drive my dead thoughts over the universe, Like withered leaves, to quicken a new birth;

And, by the incantation of this verse
Scatter, as from an unextinguished hearth
Ashes and sparks, my words among man-
kind!

Be through my lips to unawakened earth
The trumpet of a prophecy: O, wind,

If winter comes, can spring be far behind?"

Of recent English lyrical poets, Mrs. Browning is one of the most impassioned. Her songs are magnetic with sympathy, ardor and consecration. "The Sonnets from the Portuguese" are well nigh flawless, truly cut and polished gems of feeling, perfect in form and setting. How much has been done of late by women to disprove the assertion that modern poetry is unproductive of intensity and passion! Julia Ward Howe holds her eminence by the deep emotion of her "Battle Hymn of the Republic"; Christina Rossetti shares the bays with her great brother by the religious fervor of her songs. As a sonnetteer, the mantle of Mrs. Browning has descended upon Mary Ashley Townsend, who speaks ever from the woman's heart to women. How delicately poetic is this:

I feel a poem in my heart tonight,

A still thing growing;

As if the darkness to the outer light,

Robert Browning one might call the Shakespeare of the subjective man. He is essentially a dramatist, that rarest of all metrical artists, but, unlike the greater Shakespeare, whose method shows the man by the outward act, Browning lays open the mind, writing a monodrama of thought rather than of action. His arena is the medieval mind, but the conflict with its weapons of self analysis and casuistry is essentially modern in character. His language is involved, obscure, perhaps necessarily so, words and phrases being but feeble lanterns to light up the dim and unexplored labyrinth of the human mind. "The Dramatic Lyrics," on the contrary, generally simple and single of theme, partake of none of the above-mentioned obscurities of diction. Very clear are such poems as "Saul." "Rabbi Ben Ezra," "Evelyn Hope," "How They Brought the Good News," "The Pied Piper," and many others.

Browning's poetry rises above that of his contemporaries in the utterance of a large faith. Optimism, an abiding belief that "All's right with the world" because "God's in His heaven" lends to his words a sense of comfort, like the light of "Eve's one star.”

Swinburne, Rosetti, Matthew Arnold, the poets respectively of musical cadence, medieval color and classical form, tune their refrains to the depressing echoes of doubt. The great Tennyson, than whom no more perfect master of form has arisen. the complete voice of our age, even he finds himself—

"An infant crying in the night,

And with no language but a cry." Yet his is the voice that Lanier calls the largest since Milton. To Tennyson we owe the charm of a new blank verse, free alike from Miltonic inversions and high-sounding words. It is built on a Saxon foundation with a haunting music in the novel cadence peculiarly its own. The best examples of such are "Dora," "The Death of Arthur," and "Ulysses." The feeling and artistic perfection of "In Memoriam" have earned for it the name of the "Poem of Poets."

The limits of this paper do not permit of more than a passing mention of great

names that have stood for the Muse in our own country. Of these, Walt Whitman, the Titan, and Sydney Lanier, the Ariel, of our minstrelsy, seem to the writer to claim a higher meed than the wise, mystic Emerson and the ever popular Longfellow, Whittier and Lowell. Whitman has the sweep and range of Nature itself. Strong, coarse and luxuriant are his poems, rightly called "Leaves of Grass," covering rugged heights and forbidding depths. Imagination is his in large measure, whether seen in a single line such as

"The huge and thoughtful night,"

or in the regular Hebraic chant of his verse. The following is like the deep diapason of an organ echoing through the fretted vault of some vast cathedral:

DEAREST, THOU NOW O SOUL.

Dearest thou now O soul,

Walk out with me toward the unknown region,

Where neither ground is for the feet nor any path to follow?

No map there or guide,

Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand,

Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes are in that land.

I know it not O soul,

Nor dost thou, all is a blank before us, All waits undreamed of in that region, that inaccessible land.

Till when the ties loosen,

All but the ties eternal Time and Space,
Nor darkness, gravitation, sense, nor any

bounds bounding us.

Then we burst forth, we float,

In Time and Space, O soul, prepared for them,

Equal, equipt at last (O joy! O fruit of all!) them to fulfil O soul.

The inspiration of Sydney Lanier, the delicate, are forests, sea marshes, the whispering of corn fields to the winds, and the brotherhood of Nature and Man. His form is unique, illustrative of his peculiar and now generally accepted verse theory. In shortest words it might be called time measurement as opposed to the accent measurement as held by the older schools.,.

The force and effectiveness of short Anglo-Saxon words to reveal a noble

truth, and clothe it with beauty can no where be more aptly illustrated than in the poems of Joaquin Miller, the bard who greatly and worthily wears the laurel of the West.

PETER COOPER-DIED 1883.

Give honor and love forevermore To this great man gone to rest; Peace on the dim Plutonian shore, Rest in the land of the blest.

I reckon him greater than any man
That ever drew sword in war;

I reckon him greater than king or khan,
Braver and better by far.

And wisest he in this whole wide land,
Of hoarding till bent and gray;
For all you can hold in your cold, dead hand
Is what you have given away.

To sum up the foregoing, we have seen every great poet mentioned to have been the pioneer of a new method. Truth may be, nay, it is "old as the heavens," but every age has its poetical vision of that truth, to be chanted in the peoples' tongue of that day. Heine says, in effect, that the Sphinx of Poetry, at the end of every cycle, on finding her riddle read, casts herself in despair headlong into the abyss-doubtless meaning that every poetical era has its own distinct presentation of truth, for which there is a pre-eminently fitting mode of expression. A poet today must know a great many things. His facts must be scientifically accurate and through the body of the fact must glow the eternal vivifying soul of the thing. For the scientist, the fact, but for the poet the soul through the fact. He must be, as we have seen, "a realist in knowledge, an idealist in interpretation."

It will readily be perceived that the purpose of this writing is only to stimulate research in the fields of poesy. The flowers growing in a meadow crnot be appreciated from a passing car window, nor a fine poem known ɔy a single reading. Its quality can only be tested by familiarity with its bear.ties.

"All this time and all times wait the words of * true poems."

The true poets are not followers of beauty, but the august masters of beauty. The words of true poems are the tuft and final applause of science.

A Correction

In the May number of the Pacific Monthly the Board of Directors of The Pacific Monthly Publishing Company was given incorrectly. It should have been as follows: Chas. E. Ladd, Alex. Sweek, Mrs. Lischen M. Miller, J. Thorburn Ross, and William Bittle Wells.

*

The Gold Discoveries in the North

The first news from the northern gold fields is encouraging. The Klondike is still a "Klondike," Cape Nome is bearing out the most flattering reports that have been circulated concerning it, and other gold fields equal in extent to the two mentioned are reported. Alaska and contiguous territory will undoubtedly prove the greatest gold producing region. in the world, and this means untold henefit not only to Alaska but to the entire Pacific Coast. It will be the means of attracting desirable immigration to the Coast, rich not only in gold but in those things that are far better-a bountiful soil, never-failing crops, and an environment that tends to the upbuilding of a great, healthy and prosperous race. The extent of the gold discoveries in the North will be the means of bringing the world to a realization of these things, and a larger and steadier influx of people from less favored regions may be expected irom now on. The future of Alaska and the future of the Pacific Coast were never brighter.

*

"Whatsoever Thy Hand Findeth to Do, Do It With Thy Might."—

So much is being said and written. these days about the lack of opportunities for young men that there is coming to be a generally accepted belief that such is, a real condition. In reality, however, the contrary is the fact. It is true that some radical changes have taken place in the business world during the last quarter century, but these very changes, instead of decreasing opportun

ities, have created them. The opportunities that were open to the young man of fifty years ago have, indeed, disappeared, but others and better ones have taken their places. Opportunities are here; if there has been any change it has been in the young men themselves. There never was a time when ability, determination, and integrity were more in demand than they are today. Young men who are not afraid of doing a little more than they are paid for; who have eyes to see further than the mere present never have any difficulty about opportunity. It is the young man who dissipates his energies and who places temporary enjoyment before possible chance of success in the future who never recognizes his opportunity, and who finds himself out of sorts with the world. Hetty Green in the June Ladies' Home Journal sounds this keynote of success and failure. She says:

"I do everything with all my mind. If there is a lawsuit on hand I go into every detail of it with my lawyer. It's the same with everything else. That's one trouble with many young men who start out in businessthey try to do too many things at once. The result is that they don't know as much as they ought to about any one thing. and they naturally fail. The trouble with young men who work on salaries is that they're always afraid of doing more than they're paid for. They don't enter into their work with the right spirit. To get on and be appreciated a young man must do more than he's paid to do. When he does something that his employer has not thought of he shows that he is valuable. Men are always willing to pav good salaries to people who will think of things for them. The man who only carries out the thoughts and ideas of another is nothing more than a mere tool. Men who can be relied upon are always in demand. The scarcest thing in the world today is a thoroughly reliable man."

The Future of China

* * *

The Chinese Empire has a unique place. among the nations. It represents the oldest civilization extant today, and a civilization that occupies the anomalous position of being a barrier to progress.

Since its foundation the Chinese Empire has successfully repelled all forms of foreign influences. The nation is as backward, as unprogressive today as it was a thousand years ago. Modern science knows no place in China nor has modern thought penetrated in any appreciable extent into the Chinese intellect. Yet the Chinese Empire, from the standpoint of numbers, is the greatest nation in the world, and were these vast hordes educated-had they a knowledge of history, an insight into the affairs of men, modern arms and a determination to make themselves felt and a great leader such as Napoleon to follow, the world might well tremble at the tremendous and almost irresistable force with which it would have to reckon. The average Chinaman, compared with the Anglo-Saxon, is as a child to a man, and it is exceeding improbable, therefore, that the danger lurking in this mighty force of numbers will ever seriously jeopardize the safety or welfare of the world. Whether true or not, the story told of the Chinese gunners in the war between

China and Japan well illustrates the capacity of the average Chinese brain. It is related that when the range of a gun was found to be too short, the gunners immediately fired another shot, believing that the shell would take up its flight where the first shot had left off. This example of astounding ignorance was stated by the newspaper correspondents as one of the causes contributing to the defeat of the Chinese navy. The story, which we all take with a grain of allowance, is not without significance. It demonstrates that the hope of China and the peace of the world lie in the collosal ignorance and inability of the Chinaman. For through this ignorance and inability the enlightened nations of the world will be enabled with the least possible friction to so dismember the Empire as to render its hordes ineffective as a fighting force. The best thing that can happen happen to China, therefore, is to be partitioned among the nations of the world, a consummation which, judging by present conditions, is likely to be soon accomplished.

When we hear some one speak of “an old gentleman" it is not difficult to picture him in our mind's eye. He is either calm and dignified, or nervous and irritable. But it is not so easy a matter to classify old ladies. Women are almost as diversified in old age as in youth, and often as pleasing to study. Living less in the senses and the self than men, in youth and middle life, women are better able to adapt themselves to the monotony and unselfishness of the role which the aged are obliged to play, whether they will or not.

First, there is the dear old lady who has kept the look of her childhood in her eyes and mouth 'way into the seventies. She has a trim figure, with a girlishness about the waist, despite all the children and grandchildren which have climbed upon her knees. She seldom wears a color of any description, but her black dress and bonnet always have an air of the prevailing fashion about them, however humble may be her circumstances. In her youth she was one of the girls whom people said had "a knack" for trimming hats and hanging a skirt, and this knack has followed her through life, and will follow. her to the grave. Her good taste and ready fingers have enabled her to make a becoming and agreeable appearance on a small income, and these qualities render her a trim and attractive old lady, whose clean looks and bright smile and cheerful manner cheat time of at least ten years, in all save remorseless dates. In soul, expression and figure she is forever young. The elasticity of her mind and heart has kept her body limber, despite toil and sickness, and many younger women marvel at her lithe step and supple grace of movement. She has been a sweet girl, a loved wife, a good mother, and she is an adored grandmother. Her wonderful adaptabilty has caused her to fit into each position life

offered as if it were her true sphere. All that the years taught her she remembers, and can help a child with its lesson, a girl with her costume or a boy with his kite. The young people all adore her, for she is so full of sympathy, helpfulness and wise suggestions. She is the first to hear their love secrets, and they are never satisfied with their new clothes until she has seen and approved. Scores of younger people might die and be less mourned than this old lady with the heart of a child.

The quaint old lady is another type, quite as good no doubt, more self-immolating, frequently, but not so charming as the other. After the birth of her last child, if not after the first, the quaint old lady ceases to think of dress, save as a covering for the body. She is neat and clean in the care of her person, but her gown is made precisely as it was in her early wifehood, and her bonnet remains. as nearly one style as the milliners will supply. Her hair, too, is combed in the same manner she arranged it forty years ago. She has been a dutiful wife, but she is a devoted mother and grandmothHer husband, in his day, was wont to cast an admiring glance on the sly at more dressy women, but he was pleased with his prudent and sensible wife on the whole, and if he would have liked her to keep a little closer pace with the fashions he never told her so. If he has wandered from his allegiance to her she has not suspected it, for women devoid of romance are seldom suspicious. She has never studied mankind, and the fact they are married impels allegiance in her mind. She is a pious, God-fearing woman, and a most excellent nurse.

er.

She

watches with the sick and the dead. There is a patient, sad look in her face, and in repose she seems rather to be ruminating over past sorrows than anticipating joys to come.

She has a kind word for all the young